Berg Scores Two Victories as Canadians Record Four Podiums at COTA Season Opener in Tucson

Alexander Berg kicked off his season in style at the 2020 Challenge of the Americas, scoring two race wins in 100cc Junior and adding a third trip to the podium with a solid second-place finish in ROK Junior. Also, Kiefer Peet (K&K West/RedSpeed) joined Berg (RPM/TonyKart) on the Sunday 100cc podium after driving himself a second-place finish, with the two proudly flying the maple leaf down in Tucson, Arizona. Griffin Dowler (RPM/TonyKart) visited the podium with a third-place effort on Saturday in ROK Senior, with all three drivers hailing from Alberta.

It was a superb weekend of racing to kick off the 2020 Challenge of the Americas program with just over 100 entries. The Musselman Honda Circuit, as always, provided a great facility with no shortage of racing action on the 0.75-mile circuit in the desert.

A dozen Canadian drivers were in action and taking home four podium finishes was a strong performance among the west coast’s best Rok Cup racers.

Some of the highlights from the weekend include a dominating performance by Hunter Pickett (GFC/GFC) in Rok Shifter Senior, sweeping both Finals with ease, including a GFC 1-2-3 on Saturday, and leaving the rest to duke it out behind him, which they surely did. With 18 drivers on the grid the category has grown from 2019 and is expected to be even bigger at future events this season.

Enzo Deligny (RPM/TonyKart) scored a win in his ROK Junior debut after moving up from Mini. He out-duelled Berg on Saturday to score the win but had to settle for second on Sunday after Frankie Mossman pulled off a final lap pass to hold Deligny from sweeping the weekend.

Griffin Dowler on the Saturday ROK Senior podium.

In Masters, Nick De Graaf (Vemme Kart) drove his way onto the podium four times but managed to win only one of the Finals in 100cc Masters and ROK Masters. 2018 and 2019 champs Billy Cleavelin (Kosmic) and Derek Wang (FA Kart) were the race winners in ROK Masters.

Jake Drew (Formula Works/Comp Kart) and Oliver Calvo (Leading Edge/Praga) each took home a race win in ROK Senior, which unfortunately featured a dismal 8 entries, while 100cc Senior had 15 drivers and saw Calvo double-up on the victories.

Round two of the 2020 Challenge Americas heads to southern California as CalSpeed Karting will host on February 21-23. Registration for the event is open on http://challengekarting.com, with numbers expected to rise in all categories at the popular venue adjacent to Auto Club Speedway.

Challenge of the America’s has announced a $1999 Mini and Micro Rok motor and entry for CalSpeed Karting package. A great opportunity for young racers to on track at a discounted rate with a motor to take home with them. See more below from COTA promoter Andy Seesemann.

Challenge of the Americas Round 1 Canadian Results

100cc Junior Saturday
1. Alex Berg
4. Kiefer Peet

100cc Junior Sunday
1. Alex Berg
2. Kiefer Peet

ROK Senior Saturday
3. Griffin Dowler
5. Ryan Martin

ROK Senior Sunday
5. Ryan Martin
8. Griffin Dowler

ROK Mini Saturday
4. Alex Chartier

ROK Mini Sunday
4. Alex Chartier

ROK Junior Saturday
2. Alex Berg
9. Ian Qiu
12. Nicole Havrda

Kiefer Peet

ROK Junior Sunday
5. Alex Berg
8. Nicole Havrda
10. Ian Qiu

ROK Masters Saturday
8. Rob Kozakowski
10. Adam Dowler

ROK Masters Sunday
12. Rob Kozakowski
13. Adam Dowler

ROK Shifter Saturday
16. Noel Dowler

ROK Shifter Sunday
12. Noel Dowler

100cc Masters Saturday
6. Jimmy Gregory

100cc Masters Sunday
6. Jimmy Gregory